Greatest American League
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The 1927 Yankees dominated their six game series with the 1977 Yankees, winning five of six games to improve their record to 26-10, the identical record of the 1928 Yankees at the top of the standings. The '77 Yankees moved to the second worst record at 54-84.
Murderer’s Row scored double figures in three of their four wins, starting with Game One. Earle Combs went 3-5 with a triple, homerun, three RBI, and three runs scored in a 10-5 win. They won Game Three 13-1 thanks to Bob Muesel who went 2-4 with a homerun, three RBI, and three runs scored. The lone '77 Yankee win was in Game Four, a thrilling 7-6 battle in which the game had six times where the score was tied or the lead changed hands. The '77 Yankees went ahead for good in the eighth on a Bucky Dent two-run homer to go-ahead 7-6. The '27 Yankees clinched the series with a 14-4 walloping after trailing 4-3 in the 6th inning. They scored 10 runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull away. The '27 Yankees pulled off a unique offensive feat in the final game of the series, a 6-1 win; They broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning with five runs while hitting the cycle as a team. Combs tripled, Muesel doubled, Babe Ruth homered, Lou Gehrig singled and Tony Lazzeri homered for good measure.
Ruth’s average actually dropped to .388, but he continues to rake nonetheless with 21 homeruns, 59 RBI, 53 runs scored, and a 1.457 OPS. Gehrig is hitting .372 with 10 homeruns, 41 RBI, 46 runs scored, and a 1.271 OPS. Combs is hitting .351 with 42 runs scored. Muesel is hitting .315 with 42 RBI and a .951 OPS. Lazzeri is hitting .309 with 37 RBI and a .922 OPS. Waite Hoyt remains undefeated at 7-0 with a 1.52 ERA. Wilcy Moore picked up a save and a complete game win; he is now 1-0 with seven saves and a 1.05 ERA.
Reggie Jackson raised his average slightly to .283, hit his 35th homerun, and scored five runs to give him 92 for the season. Ed Figueroa lost again, making him 6-20 on the season with a 4.86 ERA. Sparky Lyle picked up his 20th save in the series. He is 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA. The '77 Yankees will take on the 13-5 1953 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1953 Yankees outlasted the 1977 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '53 Yankees improved their record to 17-7 while the '77 Yankees dropped to 56-88.
After losing the first game 6-1, the '53 Yankees won the next four games in a row. They needed 12 innings to win Game Two 8-4; Joe Collins hit two homeruns including a three-run blast to cap off the four run 12th inning. The clinching win, Game Five, was a real back breaker for the '77 Yankees. The '53 Yankees trailed early 4-0 and 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Then Phil Rizzuto, Billy Martin, and pinch hitter Andy Carey hit back-to-back-to-back doubles to tie the game. Roy White misplayed Irv Noren’s fly ball for an error and a walk-off 6-5 win.
Hank Bauer leads the '53 Yankees in hitting at .349 with seven homeruns, 22 runs scored, and a 1.049 OPS. Gene Woodling is hitting .337 with a .980 OPS. Mickey Mantle is hitting .305 with seven homeruns, 25 RBI, 25 runs scored, and a 1.018 OPS. Collins is hitting .284 with 24 RBI and a .915 OPS. Johnny Sain and Ed Lopat have identical 3-0 records; Sain’s ERA is 2.90 while Lopat’s is 3.94. Allie Reynolds has pitched eight scoreless innings in eight appearances with seven saves.
Reggie Jackson’s average fell below .280 at .276. He is stuck on 35 homeruns with 87 RBI and 93 runs scored. Thurman Munson is hitting .271 with 18 homeruns and leads the team in RBI with 91. Ron Guidry picked up his 12th win in this series and is the only starter with at least 10 starts to have an ERA under 4 (3.83). The '77 Yankees will take on their next door neighbors, the 13-5 1978 Yankees in the next series.